Cloaked in Life and Death: Tangi and Taonga in a Contemporary Māori Whanau

Malcolm-Buchanan, Vincent Alan

Cloaked in Life and Death: Tangi and Taonga in a Contemporary Māori Whanau

dc.contributor.advisor	Te Awekotuku, Ngahuia
dc.contributor.advisor	Ryan, Tom
dc.contributor.author	Malcolm-Buchanan, Vincent Alan
dc.date.accessioned	2014-07-06T21:48:10Z
dc.date.available	2014-07-06T21:48:10Z
dc.date.issued	2014
dc.date.updated	2014-07-02T22:48:53Z
dc.description.abstract	This thesis is an examination of tangihanga (indigenous funerary practices) unique to the lived experience of the Māori of Aotearoa New Zealand, drawing on fieldwork undertaken amongst Māori, by a Māori. The introduction and influence of modern practices, ideologies, and articles of significance are considered, in the context of the ongoing traditions of tangihanga, a unique and critical collective occasion. This research navigates a tribally distinct journey by way of familial experiences of death in the Māori world. In particular, this work discusses and elucidates the select materials, objects and taonga (artefacts) observable during our funerary processes, as they engage the rubric of death, burial and initial mourning. Part I: speaks to theoretical and methodological aspects pertinent to the scope of the interdisciplinary work undertaken, and intellectually framed, by the disciplines of Anthropology and Tikanga Māori Cultural Studies. This includes participant observation fieldwork; death, ritual, liminality and oral traditions; the marae context; western and indigenous worldviews and epistemologies; as well as compositional mechanisms and tensions. Part II: addresses some logistics of tangihanga, and introduces key ethnohistoric and ethnographic reflexions, which lead into select participant interviews that act to inform the work. These provide the anthropological other voice, and explore realities and concepts which are at the same time distinct from, yet similar to, my own. Part III: relates five brief tangihanga narratives which present genealogically-inflected ethnographies of death, and facilitate discussions pertaining to the core focus of the thesis. Thereafter the substantive chapter material deliberates upon processes and experiences of the arrival of death in the Māori world, as we return to the marae and eventually embrace the final moments of closing the lid of the casket in preparation for interment. With time, we can see different, innovative ideas and practices being introduced as each new generation, with their respective priorities, subsequently metamorphose the complex rubric of tangihanga. For example, transnational Māori must find new ways to cope with tūpāpaku on foreign shores, and they can also be seen to introduce non-traditional elements when returning tūpāpaku home to Aotearoa. Concern regarding the dietary health of many Māori means we are more aware of the need to reduce fat, salt and sugar intakes, so on many marae meat is becoming leaner, whilst vegetarian and gluten free options are being increasingly considered. Also, premium wall space is diminishing as growing numbers of images arrive with the passing of kin members, so the likes of digital photo albums are being introduced; reflecting increasing new technologies on marae that also includes mobile phones, iPads, laptop computers and so forth. Change seems inevitable and change, in many forms, will continue to encroach on our cultural sensibilities and abodes. As older generations perpetuate age-old traditions, and younger generations acculturate new priorities, change is no longer on the horizon of our marae, but has arrived to affect tangihanga and marae practices. This said, the Māori remain pragmatic and resilient to the winds of change, and this study shows our ability to adapt, as and where need be, whilst also foreboding future generations be as adaptable and ready to change; at the same time as maintaining core cultural traditions and practices. In its most basic form this thesis shows that whilst it matters what clothes we dress our tūpāpaku in, the taonga displayed, the form of burial vessel chosen, mode of disposal and so forth, the rubric of tangihanga nonetheless prioritises the interests of Maori as a collective, communally sharing the complex logistics and burdens of death, as we celebrate a life lived, and lost, collectively. This research will primarily consider the use of tangible materials, objects, and artefacts observable in contemporary tangihanga experiences and question how modernising or secular ideologies have impacted funerary practices for 21st century Māori. Throughout the course of this research I also intend to look into: • What taonga, materials, and objects are observable at tangihanga and why? • Are these items deemed ritually symbolic, and if so how and why? • What is the familial and cultural relevance and significance of such items? • What (if any) values and ideologies do these items express, transpose and/or communicate? • What garments and or taonga are permitted (or not) to adorn the tūpāpaku? Why or why not? • Are all types of photographs and/or images permitted to be displayed, if so where, are there restrictions, and if so then what and why? • Does the immediate physical environment make any difference to the use of materials, objects and artefacts in funerary practices, and if so how and why? Twenty-first century Māori continue to hold fast to age-old traditions, at the same time as being flexible and adapting with changing times. This body of work considers aspects of our earlier funerary traditions, and discusses current traditions, before concluding with postulations regarding potential new practices. As Māori and Pākehā of Aotearoa NZ there is much we have yet to learn from each other, and still much more we might share with our other global contemporaries. Moe mai ra koutou i te moengaroa o te Ariki He tohu aroha tēnei mō koutou katoa
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf
dc.identifier.citation	Malcolm-Buchanan, V. A. (2014). Cloaked in Life and Death: Tangi and Taonga in a Contemporary Māori Whanau (Thesis, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)). University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/8679	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10289/8679
dc.language.iso	en
dc.language.iso	mi_NZ
dc.publisher	University of Waikato
dc.rights	All items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
dc.subject	Aotearoa
dc.subject	Anthropology
dc.subject	Āpotoro Takiwā
dc.subject	burial
dc.subject	cloaked
dc.subject	cultural traditions
dc.subject	Death Studies
dc.subject	death
dc.subject	ethnography
dc.subject	ethnohistoric
dc.subject	fieldwork
dc.subject	genealogic
dc.subject	hapū
dc.subject	Hinenuitepo
dc.subject	Hohepa
dc.subject	iwicentric
dc.subject	indigenous
dc.subject	iwi
dc.subject	korowai
dc.subject	Māori
dc.subject	Māori artefacts
dc.subject	marae
dc.subject	matakite
dc.subject	Ngāti Tamateatutahi Kawiti
dc.subject	Ngāti Pikiao
dc.subject	Ngāti Whare
dc.subject	Ngahti Hamua
dc.subject	Ohlson
dc.subject	participant observation
dc.subject	poipoia
dc.subject	Rotoiti ki te a Ihenga
dc.subject	Rotorua
dc.subject	tangi
dc.subject	tangihanga
dc.subject	taonga
dc.subject	Tangi Research Programme
dc.subject	Tapuaeharuru
dc.subject	Te Arawa
dc.subject	Te Whāiti Nui a Toi
dc.subject	Te Tuhi Pihopa
dc.subject	Te Pae Mihikore
dc.subject	Te Hāhi Rātana
dc.subject	tohunga
dc.subject	tohunga whakairo
dc.subject	transnational
dc.subject	tūpāpaku
dc.subject	tūpuna
dc.subject	Tūhoe
dc.subject	Uruika
dc.subject	Waikotikoti
dc.subject	whānau
dc.subject	whānaunga
dc.subject	Wharepākau
dc.subject	worldviews
dc.title	Cloaked in Life and Death: Tangi and Taonga in a Contemporary Māori Whanau
dc.type	Thesis
pubs.place-of-publication	Hamilton, New Zealand	en_NZ
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Waikato
thesis.degree.level	Doctoral
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)